Judging from the glamorous parties and store openings in Paris this week, you would be forgiven for thinking the economy is thriving -- prompting some observers to say the fashion industry is fiddling while Rome burns.

Pianist Herbie Hancock and singer Nancy Wilson were among the stars taking the stage at a tribute concert celebrating the life of jazz legend Oscar Peterson whose piano wizardry inspired and influenced many.

Pianist Herbie Hancock and singer Nancy Wilson were among the stars taking the stage at a tribute concert celebrating the life of jazz legend Oscar Peterson whose piano wizardry inspired and influenced many.

His doctor's orders prevented Oscar Peterson from traveling from his home near Toronto to attend the tribute concert featuring Wynton Marsalis and other jazz stars at Carnegie Hall -- where the legendary jazz pianist launched his international career nearly 60 years ago.

A French aid worker released by the Taliban on Saturday thanked her captors for her freedom in a tearful statement in Kabul and pleaded for the release of four colleagues still held in southern Afghanistan.

Fabien Cousteau has been diving since he was 4 years old. Bien sr! His grandpapa is Jacques Cousteau, one of the most famous sea explorers in history. "I've been exposed to a lot of the ocean world at an early age," says Cousteau, 38.

Tattooed former wild child Angelina Jolie who in her younger years battled an eating disorder and self-mutilation and later famously wore a necklace containing a drop of her then-husband Billy Bob Thornton's blood has evolved into a vocal and hands-on celebrity goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

We've grown so accustomed to having things our way, haven't we? The Internet has helped, of course, with its ability to offer a plethora of hotel options in rapid-fire fashion. But at times the options can be overwhelming, and that's when it's good to have something to help winnow the field.